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You can look up the salary of any PA public school teacher, either by teacher names or by a whole school district.

I was shocked that in my school district (which doesn't perform well, but where they like to keep increasing school distict taxes) most of the teachers make over $70,000.

Whatever happened to that old claim that teachers make a modest salary? I have a Master's degree in a mental health field, and I don't earn as much as these teachers with only a Bachelor's. The few that show up making in the 30,000 range end up being part-timers. The newest teachers, right out of school, make in the mid 40's.

Check it out. But a word of warning: your head might explode! And just think, this is their salary not including all that's spent on their benefits.

I did have difficulty finding Philly teachers salaries, as all that came up were charter schools. Maybe Phila blocked their regular public school teachers from showing up on the site?

Do teachers deserve to be paid well? Sure, the good ones do. Do they deserve 80 grand? maybe very few. But I just hate the continual bellyaching I hear from the teachers who complain that teachers are so underpaid.

But many of the teachers who are making the higher salaries have be 25+ years working in their school districts. So I think that needs to be considered.
You might start at a decent salary (say $40,000-ish as you state,) but generally, it will take those teachers 25 years to get to the $80,000 plus levels.

Of course you can move up to that faster by getting master or doctoral degrees, special certifications or administrative certifications i.e. vice principal, principal, etc.

I still think that overall, for the continued professional development required for teachers and the need for masters degrees and such, it is still a profession that is underpaid.

You obviously aren't looking in Bucks County. I think you need to check out a couple more school disticts. I'm financially supporting several teachers in my district who make over 70, who have NOT been working 25 years. In fact I just found some making 88,500 who have only worked 11-15 years. In my mid-30s I certainly didn't make 88 grand with my Master's!

You obviously aren't looking in Bucks County. I think you need to check out a couple more school disticts. I'm financially supporting several teachers in my district who make over 70, who have NOT been working 25 years. In fact I just found some making 88,500 who have only worked 11-15 years. In my mid-30s I certainly didn't make 88 grand with my Master's!

You only see how many years that person has worked within the school district. That person could be a career changer who moved from industry to working in education after studying for teacher certification. So they might bring many more qualifications/years of experience to the table when they were hired. That could certainly be the case with math/science areas or special ed.

Again, you aren't looking in Bucks County obviously. The table clearly has a column for years in that school disctrict, and total years in service. I was citing numbers from total years in service.
And, I'm not just looking at people who teach in technical areas. I'm seeing elementary school teachers with these very high salaries, for example.
Also, I doubt the union would allow brand new teachers to come in and start at a higher point in the pay scale than teachers with more years in service or with tenure. That would be considered a no-no, to value someone with special skill and experience over a mediocre teacher with tenure

Please donít tell me you got a Masters in psychology. That was pretty much a waste of an education there. Iíd put a Bachelors in Engineering above a Doctorates in a ďmental health fieldĒ any day. I mean, there isnít anything to the major. I know a woman with a Doctorate in it and sheís scary stupid!

It all depends in what you major in, not the level you attain. Just because you have a Masters you think youíre by default entitled to more money? Sorry, doesnít work that way. Yeah, thatís a hard lesson to learn. What it comes down to is, how productive you are and what exactly you contribute to society.

Want to get REAL mad? What if I told you I cleared $160,000 last year and all I haz is a simple hie schol eduincation? Donít let that vein pop out of your head but Iím only 26. You ever see those lowly guys working on power lines, or in substations, or on electrical splicing underground. Most are easily clearing six figures. $45/hr base pay, $90/hr overtime, $110/hr on special projects. Hurricane hits in the south and itís like hitting the lotto!

Teachers deserve what they get.

Youíd have to pay me well just to hold back not punching one of those mouthy little bastards in the face.

Listen, sir, I did not make a note of my educational level to gripe about not earning enough money myself. I used it as an example to contrast with the teachers who constantly and consistently gripe about not earning enough money, yet earn with a BA much more than many with a Master's or Doctorate. I went into behavioral health (no, not an MA in psych) because I wanted to do this kind of work, not to make a lot of money. I had a 3.98 in college, so I could have pursued graduate study in almost any field I chose.

I knew I would not earn a huge salary. But those who go into teaching should also understand that they won't earn a huge salary. When you choose a career, you basically choose a mission or money. Teaching and clinical social work fall into the "mission" category. I'm fine with what I earn. But why do teachers constantly complain about not earning enough and deserving more? That was my point.

If you have earned a handsome salary with only a diploma, I applaude you. I don't think someone's income should be determined by what their work "contributes to society." It should be determined by market forces. But teachers unions have disturbed those market forces. Mediocre and poor teachers earn as much or more than good ones, due to unions and tenure. I'd venture to guess that you earned your high salary due to your efforts and success, and not due to a government pay scale and years of tenure you have under your belt.

If the average person in the US earns, what, like $50,000, then teachers, most of them, earn WELL above that average. I think there is this myth out there among people (non-teachers) that teachers are underappreciated and underpaid, but it's just not the case. Sites like the one I posted can help to shatter that myth. I just wanted people in PA to see what the reality is, then on their own, they can decide whether teachers are getting what they deserve, or much more, or much less.

Well I just looked up my daughter's kindergarten teacher and her salary is $41,376 with 6 years in service. For a district that's still HALF DAY kindergarten = twice the kids. In what is considered the wealthiest district in the county if not in this part of the state. I'm surprised it's that low, frankly.

Look up the City Data where you are checking the teachers pay... the average salary for the local people... I was very surprised to find out what the teachers were being paid, and frankly Pissed!!! Remember it is not a 2080 hours work year... And if they did actually teach, I could accept it better... And Hansproof, congrates to you, but stop blowing your own horn!!!
The Unions are not needed any longer... They Ruin business!!!

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